But let's pause for a second to consider all of what Justice Arthur Diamond's 40-page decision had to say.

For the first time ever, a judge managed to clarify NIFA's job and its power.

That's no small thing in a county in which elected officials and employee unions for years have been raising questions about what the state control board could do.

Even some members of the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, which imposed the freeze in March 2011, had doubts because of the way the authority's 1999 enabling legislation was drafted, and later revised.

"The entire purpose of the NIFA act was to place the county on sound financial ground over the long term," according to the decision.

"In passing the NIFA act, the [State] Legislature concluded that the fiscal difficulties in the county were 'contrary to the public interest . . . and seriously threatened to cause a decline in the general prosperity and economic welfare of inhabitants of the county and the people of this state.' "

But contrary to a sea of signs that union members held up outside the hotel hosting NIFA's Monday meeting, that doesn't necessarily make NIFA the unions' enemy.

In approving the measure three years ago, the decision notes, NIFA included this in its long list of justifications:

"The freeze would help reduce the number of inevitable layoffs of county personnel, which would be a better overall result for employees whose jobs were spared, and for residents for whom a larger workforce would remain available to deliver essential services."

Nassau's financial crisis is actually the latest in a series of crises, dating back to the 1980s. And the county workforce is significantly smaller as a result.

On Monday, NIFA imposed the wage freeze for another year. That means the crisis continues -- even as union leaders and Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano put forth proposed union agreements that they say trim costs and include savings.

How long could NIFA exercise power over Nassau's finances if it deemed it necessary?

Diamond had an answer for that: potentially as long as NIFA, which twice has refinanced Nassau debt, has outstanding bonds.